Volunteering

They came to Thailand 6 weeks after the Tsunami in Feb. 2005 and volunteered for 2+ months. It was a life changing experience for them.

Amanda made a wonderful video from this first volunteering trip of the Tsunami devastation and the desperate need for help.

They showed this video upon returning, and with the help of Ward Thompson, president of Weeks Drilling, they raised $22,000 in 2-3 months mainly supported by the well and pump contractors of the California Groundwater Association, and also friends. It helped many people in need.

In the summer of 2005, Gary and Amanda return for 2 1/2 months and were joined by Ward Thompson and his wife Pat, from Weeks Drilling, for 4 weeks to help with the damaged water wells. They were very touched when the California Groundwater Association awarded both couples a CGA Humanitarian Of The Year award.

For the next 10 years and continuing now, returning twice a year since the Tsunami, Amanda and Gary continued helping people with their wells, have created a HIV program for pregnant women at the local hospital, a street dog & cat sterilization program, a program to help poor people at the local hospital and an educational program. Amanda is the driving force behind this. Amanda was an MFT and specialized in working with children and people with AIDS for many years.

They created the non-profit, All for Villages in 2006, for their work in Asia.

AFV is mainly funded by Gary & Amanda (and thus Clear Heart Drilling) and with some help from friends, especially from Australia.